By Joe Murphy
Carlos Sainz won the 2024 Australian Grand Prix ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc and the pair of McLaren cars.
Following Max Verstappen’s early race departure following engine failure and a break fire, Sainz made the pass before the retirement and never looked like giving it up.
Some late action involving George Russell who spectacularly crashed on the final lap didn’t take away from the fact the Spaniard, who is still recovering from recent appendix surgery, stole the show in reality. The ‘Driver of the Day’ is still without an official seat for 2025, but this will surely encourage multiple teams to go for the smooth operator.
Lando Norris managed to achieve his 14th podium and hometown hero Oscar Piastri nursed his car home in fourth. Sergio Perez could only manage 5th in his Red Bull, ahead of the Aston Martin’s.
Further down the grid, Haas managed a spectacular double podium in 9th and 10th, providing the constructor with valuable points towards their total. Moreover, Yuki Tsunoda had an amazing performance managing P8 to claim precious points for Team RB. These were added to as a post race penalty for Fernando Alonso demoted him to P8 and put both Yuki and teammate Lance Stroll ahead of the Spaniard.
Alex Albon couldn’t get Logan Sergeant’s car into the top 10, as couldn’t the Sauber and Alpine pair, nor Lewis Hamilton who saw his car shut off halfway through the Grand Prix.
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